4-, 6- and 8-Row Yield-Pro Planters

Believing it was time to provide smaller farmers access to yield-increasing technologies, Great Plains engineers designed 3 new models around the Air-Pro metering system to produce the 4-, 6- and 8-row Yield-Pro planters.

The planters can be configured with either standard 30-inch rows or twin-row designs, says Mike Cleveland, national sales manager for Great Plains. All models are available in either a 3-point mounted or pull-type configuration.

The 3 models each utilize the 25 Series row unit for greater accuracy, longer life and easier maintenance than most competitive row units.

"We think these new planters will be the perfect solution for producers who seek maximum production from small fields or a limited number of acres," Cleveland says. "Part-time farmers, hobby farmers and producers who have limited acres of row crops can enjoy the benefits that previously were only available with larger planters."

Great Plains also believes the planters could help smaller farmers get into twin-row cropping methods.

YP-30 and YP-40 Yield-Pro Planters

With a choice of 3 openers and 8 row widths, the YP-30 and YP-40 Yield-Pro planters provide a large number of options for customers.

The 30- and 40-foot frames can be equipped with 10HDP Series openers for 7 ½-inch wheat and 15-inch soybeans; 20P Series openers, with side depth-gauging wheels, that can plant on 8- or 10-inch row spacings; or 25 Series openers, which can be positioned for row spacings of 10, 15, 20, 30 or 36 inches, including the option of twin-row 30- or 36-inch rows.

Additional choices on both the YP-30 and YP-40 include an onboard 82- or 150-bushel poly hopper, and the ability to seed directly from a seed company's bulk box. Both Yield-Pro planters can also be equipped with a semi-mounted fertilizer cart.]

"Despite their size, the YP-30 and YP-40 have the flexibility to handle any terrain," says Tom Evans, vice president of sales and marketing for Great Plains. "The frame itself can flex up to 20 degrees in each direction from level, while the floating hitch allows the unit to closely follow any field contours."

Great Plains Swath Command

Great Plains' new Swath Command control system can save up to 18% on seed costs by eliminating the loss associated with over planting or double planting, the company says.

"When used in conjunction with the IntelliAg controller and a reliable GPS signal,

Swath Command builds an 'as applied' map of the field as it is planted," says Tom Evans, vice president of sales and marketing for Great Plains. "Swath Command turns row units on and off as the planter passes over areas that have already been planted, such as headlands, waterways, borders and center pivot corners."

Tru Count clutches drive 2 row units at a time on 15-inch and twin-row models, reducing the overall expense. An air compressor, coupled with a small holding tank, provides a constant supply of clean air to control the individual clutches.

Each valve box offers control of 4 functions. In the standard configuration, two sets of row units are controlled together, but individual row unit control can be attained by simply adding more valves.

2007HD 20-Foot Narrow Transport Air Drill

The new Great Plains 2007HD 20-Foot Narrow Transport Air Drill is ideal for today's producer because of its big capacity, flexibility and 10-foot transport width.

The adaptability starts with the choice of 6- or 7-1/2-inch rows and continues with the customer's choice of 3 cart configurations — seed-only in a single 150-bushel hopper; seed and dry fertilizer in 2 82-bushel hoppers, or seed and liquid fertilizer via 2 200-gallon tanks and a single 82-bushel hoppers.

"All dry hoppers also utilize an infinite-ratio gearbox that allows the operator to precisely set the application rate and fine tune seeding rates," says Greg Brenneman, marketing manager for Great Plains. "An optional variable-rate system can even be added to allow for GPS-based variable-rate seeding," he adds, noting that an IntelliAg ISO Control System and blockage monitor are standard equipment.

The 2007HD also utilizes Great Plains 07HD openers, which combine proven planter features with the capacity and efficiency of an air drill for a new level of seed placement accuracy, Brenneman says.

3007HD 30-Foot Narrow Transport Air Drill

With a 10-foot transport width and exceptional capacity, the Model 3007HD 30-foot Narrow Transport Air Drill from Great Plains is suited for the producer who needs to frequently move between fields but demands maximum productivity while in the field.

"The 3007HD is designed to keep farmers going longer between stops to refill, too," says Greg Brenneman, marketing manager for Great Plains. "Two 100-bushel bulk hoppers provide 200 bushels of bulk seed capacity or the ability to carry 100 bushels each of seed and dry fertilizer."

Designed for tractors in the 275-415 horsepower range, the 3007HD is available in 6-, 7-1/2- and 10-inch row spacing for a total of 60, 48 or 36 rows per pass respectively.

The 3007HD also utilizes a 07HD opener, which combines proven planter features with the capacity and efficiency of an air drill for a new level of seed placement accuracy.

"We recognized that a 30-foot drill has a big footprint and that the center tires carry a lot of weight when the planter is folded down to just 10 feet," Brenneman continues. "So we equipped the center frame with eight 15 x 19.5 tires, while allowing the wings to float on four 15 x 16.5 tires."

8000 Series Field Cultivators

Changes and enhancements have been made to the full line of Great Plains 8000 Series Field Cultivators, mostly making them heavier, better balanced and more reliable, says Greg Brenneman, marketing manager.

"The hinges on both the inside and outside wings, for example, are heavier so folding and unfolding are smoother and more reliable," he says. "We also strengthened the wing wheel arms and used heavier, 6-bolt hubs in all locations on all models for more reliability in the field and on the road."

Other improvements include an improved caster pivot design on floating hitch models for greater strength and enhanced maneuverability; a new low-profile hitch with heavy-duty ball joint attachment; new maintenance-free pivot points, and better overall balance, which allows heavier harrow attachments without experiencing negative tongue weight.

"We also changed the shank spacing throughout the machine — especially around the tires — to ensure that no shanks are closer than 28 inches to maintain our Max/Mix pattern," Brenneman adds. "This significantly improves trash flow and reduces plugging in heavy residue."

SS1800 and SS2000 Folding In-Line Sub-Soilers

The new SS1800 and SS2000 Folding In-Line Sub-Soilers from have been designed for big acreage and high horsepower with narrow transport widths.

The 20-foot Model SS1800, designed for tractors with 200-480 horsepower, folds to 13 feet, 1 inch, while the 25-foot Model SS2000, designed to handle over-500 horsepower, folds to 15 feet, 5 inches.

All models feature heavy-duty hinges, with reinforced large-diameter, greaseable pivot pins, which ensure the wings can take as much abuse as the center section.

"The SS1800 and SS2000 provide maximum shatter of subsoil structure so both moisture and root growth can penetrate deeper into the soil profile," says Greg Brenneman, marketing manager for Great Plains. Shank options include ¾-inch spring steel no-till shanks or 1-¼-inch straight-leg shanks.

The models come standard with a category 3, 4N or 4, 3-point hitch, but an implement hitch for converting either model to a pull-type machine is available.

8000 Series "Narrow" Disc-O-Vator

The new 8000 Series Disc-0-Vator "Narrow" (DVN) from Great Plains combines 4 important operations — discing, cultivating, harrowing and herbicide incorporation — saving time, fuel and machine wear in the process, the company says.

The Disc-O-Vator "Narrow" models fold to only 9 feet, 11 inches for fast, safe and easy transport between fields. Customers have a choice of four different working widths from 15 feet, 11 inches to 24 feet, 1 inch.

"The Max-Mix shank pattern on all models increases chemical incorporation, reduces windrowing and helps eliminate banding," says Greg Brenneman, marketing manager for Great Plains. "Customers can also add their choice of options designed to leave the soil seedbed-ready, including 5- and 7-row spike drags, a 4-row spike drag and reel combination, a 4-row coil tine drag and a 3-row coil tine and reel combination."

Nutri-Pro Fertilizer Bar

Great Plains introduced a new approach to anhydrous and liquid nitrogen fertilizer application with its new Nutri-Pro system.

Available in 30- and 40-foot working widths, the Nutri-Pro incorporates a leading coulter followed by an anhydrous knife, a single 20-inch Vantage I liquid coulter, or a double row-cleaner 3-coulter system.

A choice of closing options or "sealers" is also available for sealing the trench when applying anhydrous. Choose from double concaved discs, spring-loaded berm conditioners or angled spider wheel conditioners, depending on the soil and residue conditions.

"The double row-cleaner, 3-coulter system allows the producer to pre-apply liquid fertilizer prior to planting, clear the residue with the row cleaners and do mild tillage in the row," says Greg Brenneman, marketing manager for Great Plains.

"The result is precision-placed fertilizer in a clean, warm, fast-emerging seedbed for the planter to precisely plant the seed. Precision planting right over that nitrogen strip is even easier with the advent of GPS guidance systems."

Because producer requirements and terrain vary, Nutri-Pro is available as a floating-tongue, pull-type model, 3-point-mounted unit, or semi-mounted unit with lift-assist wheels. All models fold to 17 feet, 4 inches or less for easy transport.

"One of the best features of the Nutri-Pro is that it can be used for side-dressing the crop after emergence," Brenneman says.

Row-Pro Automatic Down-Pressure Control

Great Plains says its new Row-Pro system is the company's answer to varying soil conditions that limit yield potential.

The system works in conjunction with the company's 25 Series row unit and IntelliAg control system to automatically maintain the proper selected down pressure on the row unit, while keeping sidewall compaction to a minimum.

"Unlike some competitive systems, Row Pro uses pneumatic cylinders, rather than air bags, to maintain down pressure," says Greg Brenneman, marketing manager for Great Plains. "Not only are the cylinders more reliable than air bags, but they respond much quicker since they require considerably less volume of air and less time to recharge."

According to Brenneman, the operator simply sets the desired maximum down pressure with the spring adjustment, then selects the "target" side depth-wheel down pressure on the IntelliAg console in the tractor cab. Row-Pro then adjusts to soil hardness or softness.

Semi-Mounted Fertilizer Cart

Great Plains says its new line of Semi-Mounted Fertilizer Carts allows owners of Great Plains YP-2425, YP-30 and YP-40 planters to apply seed and fertilizer in one trip.

Mounted to the planter via a quick hitch, the carts ride on high-flotation, heavy-duty caster wheels that run between both 30-inch standard rows and 30-inch twin rows.

"The cart is available in 3 different sizes to match the productivity of each planter model," explains Greg Brenneman, marketing manager for Great Plains. Available is a 1,000-gallon model for the YP-2425; a 735-gallon unit for the YP-40 or YP-2425, and a 500-gallon cart that can be used on the YP-30, YP-40 or YP-2425.

All utilize a ground-driven John Blue piston pump mounted on the planter toolbar to provide positive application of either starter fertilizer or high-rate fertilizer.
And by using the on-board fertilizer tank on the YP-30 and YP-40 in conjunction with the Semi-Mounted Fertilizer Cart, producers using Great Plains' Yield-Pro planters can apply both high-rate and starter fertilizer in one pass.

"The quick hitch, along with dual drop-down jack stands, make it easy to remove the semi-mounted cart when fertilizer is not needed on a field," Brenneman adds. "In a matter of minutes, the operator can have it unhooked and be back in the field."

Attachment for Great Plains 5000 Series Turbo-Chisel

The company's 5000 Series Turbo-Chisel has some new rear attachment options for 2010-11. The options include the choice of a "buster bar" to level and smooth the surface, or new "chopper wheels" to aggressively smash clods and level the swath for one-pass follow-up.

New "Chopper Wheel" rear-attachment option for Great Plains' 5000 Series Turbo-Chisel. A "Buster Bar" attachment to level and smooth the soil surface is also available. (Farm Equipment photo.)

"The challenge to vertical tillage is to keep the density uniform and leave the field level. You don't want shank marks, and you want to make things easier for one-pass operations," Tom Evans, vice president of sales and marketing.

"This is for farmers with 10,000 to 15,000 acres who don't have time for multiple passes," added Great Plains' national sales manager, Mike Cleveland.